The Bulgarian currency is the Bulgarian lev (BGN) and its plural, leva. Every lev used to consist of 100 stotinki (st). Leva notes are available in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50. Stotinki coins in use are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50.
After the fall of Communism in Bulgaria, new editions of leva notes were printed, and all notes dating prior to 1974 have been declared worthless. To ensure against receiving counterfeit notes, always check for the Bulgarian Lion watermark. The deregulation of the lev on the exchange market has caused foreign currency, and in particular United States dollars (USD), to become very popular with the Bulgarian population. Blackmarket currency exchanges and upstart banks vie with airport shop owners and taxi drivers in attempts to separate tourists from their foreign
currency.
